Hunting Quotes:: The 18 Best of All Time

Carly Brasseux // January 21

We love a good hunting quote.

What are the 18 best hunting quotes of all time?

“For us, hunting wasn't a sport. It was a way to be intimate with nature…” – Ted Kerasote

“When a human being willfully takes the life of a wild, sentient creature, they are then separated forever from those who have not.” – Shane Mahoney

“When a hunter is in a tree stand with moral values and with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God.” – Fred Bear

“'The best thing about hunting and fishing,' the Old Man said, ‘is that you don't have to actually do it to enjoy it. You can go to bed every night thinking about how much fun you had twenty years ago, and it all comes back clear as moonlight.” – Robert Ruark

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” – John James Audubon

“Hunting isn't a sport or hobby. It's a calling to something greater.” – Unknown

hunting quotes

“I do not hunt for the joy of killing but for the joy of living, and the inexpressible pleasure of mingling my life however briefly, with that of a wild creature that I respect, admire, and value.” -John Madson

“I have always tempered my killing with respect for the game pursued. I see the animal not only as a target but as a living creature with more freedom than I will ever have. I take that life if I can, with regret as well as joy, and with the sure knowledge that nature’s way of fang and claw and starvation are a far crueler fate than I bestow.” – Fred Bear

“I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person.” – Fred Bear

“In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen.  the excellent people who protest against all hunting, and consider sportsmen as enemies of wildlife, are ignorant of the fact that in reality, the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“Maybe stalking the woods is as vital to the human condition as playing music or putting words to paper. Maybe hunting has as much of a claim on our civilized selves as anything else.” – Steven Rinella

“Now then, get your equipment–your quiver and bow–and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me.” – Genesis 27:3

“The best part of hunting and fishing [is] the thinking about going and the talking about it after you get back.” – Robert Ruark

“The good news is that real-world hands-on conservation is alive and well and catching on across America I travel.” – Ted Nugent

“The hunter that travels out into the woods is lost to the world, yet finds himself.” – Unknown

“The old man used to say that the best part of hunting and fishing was the thinking about going and the talking about it after you got back.” – Robert Ruark

“The true trophy hunter is a self-disciplined perfectionist seeking a single animal, the ancient patriarch well past his prime that is often an outcast from his own kind… If successful, he will enshrine the trophy in a place of honor. This is a more noble and fitting end than dying on some lost and lonely ledge where the scavengers will pick his bones, and his magnificent horns will weather away and be lost forever.” – Elgin Gates

What do you think are the best hunting quotes of all time?

About the Author

Carly Brasseux

Carly Brasseux is a determined and passionate freelance outdoor writer, published author, business owner and social media/marketing consultant based in Texas. In a world where women are the fastest growing segment of the hunting population, she is a major proponent of those women wanting to learn more about the outdoors and hunting. Her handle, Miss Pursuit, is an expression of her enthusiasm for all things outdoors, from educating women through her experiences learning to hunt over the last decade, to getting out with her kids to explore the wild. Her expertise in social media and marketing, as well as her vast network of people in the outdoor industry, have given her the influence to make an impact for years to come. Member of the Mule Deer Foundation, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Stewards of the Wild and the Texas Wildlife Association.